In this first post, a chronological look at the long career of Senaka Senanayake, a child prodigy and one of the most outstanding artists of Sri Lanka, who at 10 years had already presented his first show in New York.

A child prodigy, he attained fame early and had his first solo show at the age of 8. He exhibited across continents before graduating from Yale University in Art and Architecture in 1972. On his return to Sri Lanka, he established himself as a formidable force in South Asian Art. Today his name is synonymous to nature in her complete glory. In 2005 on visiting the rainforests of Sri Lanka, Senaka discovered their beauty and their plight- facing extinction at the hands of rampant development. The endangered rainforest the plants, animals and even the insects became his focus. Painting these elements in their true beauty was a conscious decision, for then how not to lose them would be a thought.

His works have been documented by Metro Goldwyn, British Movieton News, BBC TV, London; Yeo Soo TV, South Korea; TV Austria, and Star TV, India. He has also been published in various journals, magazines and newspapers such as The New York Sunday Times, Washington Post, London Times, Weser Kurier, Germany; UNESCO Features, Paris; National Geographic Magazine, Asia Week and many others.

«I do not have any individual [artist] who impressed me. It was special works done by Artists from the school of Impressionism , Cubism, Surrealism and Expressionism that really inspired me. The Artists would be Monet, Van Gogh, Gaugan, Picasso, Salvador Dali etc.»

«My talent in Art was first discovered by Mr. L.P. Gunatilleke, a leading Art Critic who was a family friend. I was invited by him to hold a solo Art Exhibition at the National Art Gallery at the age of Eight sponsored by the National Arts Council. The sales proceeds from the show went to the Royal College Swimming pool fund. A journalist from the Christian Science Monitor News Paper from USA visited the show and wrote an article about me. A leading gallery in San Diego USA picked up on it and invited me to do a solo show in their gallery called The Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego. Due to the success of the show I got an invitation to show in New York at the Asia House Art Gallery.»

Animals and plants have been a recurring theme, so is the ‘circle of life’ that now manifests as translucent orbs of light in his paintings. It is an essential Buddhist motif, symbolising eternal movement and life energy. Much of his work relies on the cosmic circle for form and fluidity—be it his paintings of a herd of cattle or lotuses in bloom. “I have done some hard-edged paintings, but I tend towards truthful art rather than abstractions,” he says. Senanayake’s colours are often violently beautiful, a reaction to the fast-fading natural beauty around him. “As a child, I would often snorkel in Sri Lanka and there were these beautiful corals and so many fish. Now, with the oceanic warming and changing pH levels, the coral is bleached white and you’d be lucky to see any fish at all,” he says.

Senaka beguiles, of course. His representation of nature is a gentle but incandescent exploration of color In real life, nature can and often is violent. Creatures kill, seasons wreak havoc, plants die, species become endangered. Why is Senaka's fecund imagination then so peaceful? Perhaps the answers lie within each of us. As our day-to-day existence rises to a stressed pitch, as we observe and are even drawn into small circles of brutality and anger, Senaka permits us the grace of an escapist's fantasy to find an exit for our pent-up emotions. The more we struggle to survive the rat race of modern civilisations, the more our past draws us, the more relief we seek in an imagined reality and its soothing presence.

This is an open art blog, so you could find images eventually offensive or umconfortable.

If you're an artist and find here images of your art you want to be removed, just tell me and I'll do it immediately. I try to ask for permission always if artist is alive and there's a way to contact, bot not always is possible and there are things I think worth to be known.

In any case, the copyrights of all the images contained in this blog, except where noted, belong to the artists or the legal owners of such rights, and have been published nonprofit and for the only purpose of make the works known to the general public.

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